Car was going the wrong way on I-77 when it crashed with a tractor trailer, SC cops say
One person was killed Thursday morning when a car going the wrong way on an interstate in Columbia crashed with a tractor trailer, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 2:40 a.m. on Interstate 77 in Richland County, said Lance Cpl. Brittany Glover.
A 2002 Mazda was driving south on the northbound side of I-77, Glover said. Near the 12-mile marker, the car crashed into a 1997 Freightliner tractor trailer that was heading north, according to Glover.
The Mazda driver died at the scene, Glover said.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the Mazda driver.
Glover said the tractor trailer driver was not hurt, and no other injuries were reported.
There was no word if either of the drivers were wearing a seat belt.
Information about why the Mazda was driving toward oncoming traffic was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Sunday, 386 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,030 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 19 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 61 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS said.
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This story was originally published June 6, 2024 at 7:39 AM with the headline "Car was going the wrong way on I-77 when it crashed with a tractor trailer, SC cops say."
